Machines for forming cartons



March 5,\ 1963 E. J. E. Powz-:LL

MACHINES FOR FoRMING cARToNs 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5. 1960 March 5,' 1963 E. J. E. POWELL 3,079,845

MACHINES FOR FORMING cARToNs Filed Dec. 5, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 B 10 n 12 r. A;

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March 5, 1963 E. J. E. PowELL' 3,079,845

MACHINES FOR FORMING CARTONS Filed Dec. 5, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 -F/G.l 3

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MACHINES FOR FORMING cARToNs Filed Dec. 5. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 5, 1963 E. .1. E. POWELL MACHINES FOR FQRMING cARToNs 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 5. 1960 O O O O O for this purpose either or both the mandrel 3d or die 50 may beelectrically heated. The body forming machine may have l or as many as 30 heads, i.e. body formers 3 and the table or support 2 is constantly rotated. It may be rotated in any suitable plane from horizontal to vertical, the plane of ancillary movement conforming accordingly. The plant under present description has its turrets rotating in a horizontal plane.

At the ilrst station, the carton blank will be wrapped or folded around the body former and as it passes through succeeding stations the heat sealing of the carton vbody takes place and at the station following the wrap round station the closure is applied and heat sealed over several stations, after which the mandrel 31 is retracted, the die lowered and moved to one side on the cross-head 43 so that the carton body closed at one end can be caused to drop off the body yformer by mechanical or pneumatic means onto the conveyor which takes it to the vi'illing machine. g

The body former 3 may be supported against pressure exerted by pressure plate 21 which heat seals the carton body seam by causing the pivotal clamp 4 opposite to engage a cam 53 (FIGURE 2) which prevents its outward movement for part of the rotation of the machine e.g. during the period which heat sealing of the carton body takes place.

The table or support 2 will be driven by means of a suitably positioned electric motor (not shown) and the various cams referred to control the sequence of operations in accordance with the rotation of the table or support.

detail in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 and the expanding portion 32 comprises four metal segments S4 complementary to one another and of similar shape to the carton body. The segments 54 are slidably mounted for movement in a radial direction and are interconnected by mechanical means (FIGURE 5) tending to move them radially inwardly into retracted position. The segments are guided in their radial movement by providing them with studs 55 or guides which are slidable in slots 56 in the base member 57 and further the adjacent side edge-s of the segments 54 are formed with interengaging fingers or the like 58 so that there is no gap between the adjacent segments 54, and even in expanded position they -will present a continuous peripheral edge, i.e. pressure face for engagement with the adjacent part of the wall or flange of the end closure. Sealing faces 59 may be toothed, grooved, and/ or rubber clothed.

In order to eiect expansion of the segments the base 57 is provided with a central recess 60 in which a fourthrow cam 61 is mounted for rotary movement in direction normal to the radial movement of the four segments 54. Alternatively, hydraulic or pneumatic means can be applied for thispurpose. The segments 54 are returned inwardly on reversal of the rotary cam movement by reason of the provision of eccentrically mounted slots 62 in a ring 63 fixed to the shaft 30 on which ring the segments are slidably mounted by means of guiding spigots 64.

The above description describes the application of a cap-fitting closure. Little modification is required to.convert the machine to one suitable for applying an inserted or push-in type closure. Y

FIGURES l6` and 7 illustrate a modied form of machine and mandrel capable of applying this type of closure. In FIGURE 6 upper and lower spaced circular rotatable platforms or tables 65, 66 are provided adapted to be rotated by means of an electric motor (not shown) driving a toothed wheel 67 beneath the lower platform 66.

The lower platform 66 has a plurality of body supportingmembers 68 each mounted on a spring-loaded shaft 69 at the lower end of which runners 70 engage stationary cam tracks 71 mounted on a base plate 72 of the machine.

The upper platform or table 65 carries a flange 73 formed with a plurality of guide apertures 74 axially The expandible portion of the mandrel 31 is shown in v aligned with the body supporting members 63 and also in axial alignment with these guide apertures 74 are .cap-- ping heads 75 which are spring-loaded at 76, cam controlled and capable of axial movement in a Vertical plane by means of a follower 77 which engages a cam track 78 provided on a xed upper flange member 79 keyed at 80 to the central pillar 81. Within the capping head 75 is a reciprocal expanding mandrel 82 whose expansion and contraction is controlled by means of a lever 83 and follower 84 which engages a further cam S5 on the iixed upper flange member 79. Alternatively, hydraulic or pneumatic means can be employed for this purpose.

The guide apertures 74 constitute forming dies for the closures which are laid in blank form (not shown) over the apertures 74, which have radiused guide faces on their upper surfaces causing the blanks to be ormedinto end closures by the downward action of the collapsed capping head 75. The continued downward movement of the capping head inserts the closure within the ycarton body B after it has been indexed upwardly by the supporting platform 68 until its upper edges have registered against a step, over which in the downward direction, the closures register within the perimeter of the carton wall, and are heat-sealed to the carton bodies vby the rexpansion of capping head segments (54 in FIGURES 3 and 4) against the heated retaining dies 74. After a due period of pressure and heat dwell the capping head collapses and moves further downward to eject carton in an inverted position in unison with the downward retraction of supporting plat form 68 (FIGURE 6).

The undersides of the forming dies 74 are provided with inclined guiding edges or leads 86 for leading the top edge of carton body B up to its step-stop location.V

In order that the closure may be heat sealed to the body the capping head and/or the forming dies will be elec trically heated during the rotation of the machine.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for forming cartons comprising a table rotatably mounted about a vertical axis, a plurality of body formers suspended from the underside of said table in spaced relation about said table, each of said body formers comprising a mandrel having radiused corners and a die ,member associated therewith, a iirst clamping means for each of said body formers to hold and fold a dat, heat-scalable blank about the associated body former, means for mounting one 4of said clamps pivotally yon a horizontal axis above said table at the front of said body former whereby said one clamp holds and positions a blank for folding about said body former, means for mounting another of said clamps at the side of said body former about a vertical axis relative to said table `for moving said other clamp to fold the blank along a longitudinal edge, a stationary pressure member carried by said table which coacts with the side of each body former bearing vagainst the pressure member and the inner overlapping longitudinal seam of said blank and said other clamp to seal said blank, wvhereafter said die member permanently sets the tube formed from said blank at its radiused corners, blank fee-ding means for the tubular body Vblank and blank feeding means for the top closure, table rotating means for moving said table at a constant rate of speed which is synchronized with said blank feeding means for successive formation of tubular, permanently set body blanks on said body formers at a continuous rate, means on said table to automatically form, seal and cap the tubular body in the bodyformed position, and means for removing the capped and formed container from the mandrel.

2. A machine as claimed in claim l wherein means are provided to swing the mandrel towards and away from the rst pair of xed body-forming clamps.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided to swing the second pair of body-forming clamps towards and away from the mandrel, including a lever and link mechanism in which the links are carried on a lever actuated from a follower engaging a stationary cam around a xed column which surrounds the Vertical axis of rotation.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pressure member is mounted on a power-loaded swinging arm in bearings attached to and beneath said table and there is provided at the free end of the plunger, a follower Which engages a stationary cam formed on the outer casing surrounding the machine.

5. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said mandrel swings to a position above the die member which rises and collapses onto the end of the formed carton body to form and heat seal a cap carried by said die member onto the carton body.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein said die member comprises a split, cupped die for carrying and applying the closure blanks, said die being carried in the same peripheral path as that taken by the mandrel when carried at its maximum radius.

7. A machine according [to claim 6 wherein the split, cupped die comprises four metal segments complementary to one another and of shape similar to the carton body, the segments being slidably mounted for movement in a radial direction and interconnected by mechanical means tending to move them radially inwardly into sealing position, a housing member provided with slots for guiding said segments in radial direction, said segments being provided With studs slidable in said slots in said housing member, the adjacent side edges of the segments being formed with interengaging fingers to close the gap between the adjacent segments in the retracted position of said segments in order to present a continuous peripheral edge for engagement with the adjacent parts of the end closure causing the latter to make intimate radial contact over the entire carton Wall periphery.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,543 Vergubbi Aug. S, 1939 2,414,268 Moran Jan. 14, 1947 2,585,031 Odquist et al Feb. 12, 1952 2,726,583 Barnes et al. Dec. 13, 1955 

1. A MACHINE FOR FORMING CARTONS COMPRISING A TABLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, A PLURALITY OF BODY FORMERS SUSPENDED FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID TABLE IN SPACED RELATION ABOUT SAID TABLE, EACH OF SAID BODY FORMERS COMPRISING A MANDREL HAVING RADIUSED CORNERS AND A DIE MEMBER ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, A FIRST CLAMPING MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID BODY FORMERS TO HOLD AND FOLD A FLAT, HEAT-SEALABLE BLANK ABOUT THE ASSOCIATED BODY FORMER, MEANS FOR MOUNTING ONE OF SAID CLAMPS PIVOTALLY ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS ABOVE SAID TABLE AT THE FRONT OF SAID BODY FORMER WHEREBY SAID ONE CLAMP HOLDS AND POSITIONS A BLANK FOR FOLDING ABOUT SAID BODY FORMER, MEANS FOR MOUNTING ANOTHER OF SAID CLAMPS AT THE SIDE OF SAID BODY FORMER ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS RELATIVE TO SAID TABLE FOR MOVING SAID OTHER CLAMP TO FOLD THE BLANK ALONG A LONGITUDINAL EDGE, A STATIONARY PRESSURE MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID TABLE WHICH COACTS WITH THE SIDE OF EACH BODY FORMER BEARING AGAINST THE PRESSURE MEMBER AND THE INNER OVERLAPPING LONGITUDINAL SEAM OF SAID BLANK AND SAID OTHER CLAMP TO SEAL SAID BLANK, WHEREAFTER SAID DIE MEMBER PERMANENTLY SETS THE TUBE FORMED FROM SAID BLANK AT ITS RADIUSED CORNERS, BLANK FEEDING MEANS FOR THE TUBULAR BODY BLANK AND BLANK FEEDING MEANS FOR THE TOP CLOSURE, TABLE ROTATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TABLE AT A CONSTANT RATE OF SPEED WHICH IS SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID BLANK FEEDING MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVE FORMATION OF TUBULAR, PERMANENTLY SET BODY BLANKS ON SAID BODY FORMERS AT A CONTINUOUS RATE, MEANS ON SAID TABLE TO AUTOMATICALLY FORM, SEAL AND CAP THE TUBULAR BODY IN THE BODYFORMED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING THE CAPPED AND FORMED CONTAINER FROM THE MANDREL. 